The World's Most Hardcore Sports Car Gets Its First Update in 60 Years

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The World's Most Hardcore Sports Car Gets Its First Update in 60 Years

People bitch and moan that the Porsche 911 hasn't changed for 50 years. But the Germans have nothing on Caterham. The styling of the iconic 7 hasn't changed since its introduction. In 1957. Next year, the 7 evolves, with the most comprehensive redesign of the British automaker's only model, and it starts with the AeroSeven Concept.

When it comes to minimalist motoring for maximum fun, the classic 7 is unmatched. It's as raw and pure as it gets, with an engine up front, a manual transmission in the middle, and power delivered to the rear wheels. Total weight hovers just over 1,200 pounds, while a squat piece plexiglass barely functions as a windshield, and the only thing protecting you from the elements is nailing the throttle. The 7 is beautifully basic – a motorcycle for the two-wheel averse – and it's the four-wheeled philosophy of what Lotus founder Colin Chapman envisioned when making his famous "simplify, then add lightness" remark.

The AeroSeven thrusts that concept into the 21st century, taking aim at barely street-legal track toys like the Ariel Atom and KTM XBow that attempted to replicate the original 7 for a new era.

The styling of the AeroSeven looks nothing like its barebones predecessor, save the ovoid front grille that's a not-so-subtle nod to the past. The body has been shaped in the wind tunnel by its Formula 1 team and is comprised entirely of carbon fiber, with the lightweight weave extending into the passenger compartment made up of two bare carbon seats, a steering wheel, a shifter, a few buttons, and a center mounted screen to keep tabs on the engine. That's it. And that's all you need.

Underneath, Caterham hasn't strayed from what it does best, with a chassis that's based on the more modern 7 CSR, complete with F1-derived inboard pushrods for the front suspension and sticky Avon track tires. Power is sourced from a Ford-supplied 2.0-liter four-cylinder putting out 237 horsepower and good for a claimed run to 60 mph in under four seconds.

If the styling is enough to make 7 purists storm Caterham's doors with pitchforks, the inclusion of traction control, launch control, and ABS brakes – all firsts for Caterham – will have them burning an effigy of Chapman outside the walls of the automaker's Norfolk headquarters. But you can't stop progress, and besides, Caterham has to do something with all that F1 engineering talent lining the bottom of the field.